volleyball

Despite being denied a three-peat in the Southern Section Division 1 playoffs, the Mater Dei High girls volleyball team still ended the season a champion — and ranked No. 1 in California.

The Monarchs (35-5) captured their second Open Division state title in three years and their third overall with a 25-13, 25-22, 25-18 sweep of Rocklin on Saturday night at Santiago Canyon College.

Getting 31 kills from USC signee Layli Ostavar and 43 assists from Cal State Bakersfield-bound setter Sam Capinpin, Mater Dei closed out the Sac-Joaquin Section Division 2 winners with a 13-6 run in the third set.

Dan O’Dell’s squad won 20 of its last 21 matches — its only blemish being a four-set defeat to Sierra Canyon in the CIF-SS final.

Earlier Saturday, Cypress made the most of its first state finals appearance by sweeping Clovis West, 25-20, 25-23, 25-22, to win the Division II title under head coach Alex Griffiths.

Isabella Faro had 14 kills and fellow senior Hannah Schoffstall dished out 30 for the Centurions (25-10), who swept Santa Ana Foothill on November 6 in the CIF-SS Division 3 final.

It was redemption for Cypress, which had lost to Bishop Diego in the CIF-SS Division 3 semifinals and to Long Beach Poly in the first round of the Division II regionals last season.

On Friday, Harvard-Westlake earned its sixth title and first since 2021 with a 25-22, 25-14, 25-17 victory over Roseville Woodcreek in the Division I championship match.

Kylie Parker pounded 14 kills and dug 15 balls, Sophia Cotter had 11 kills and senior middle blockers Lauryn Lewis (committed to Penn) and Maya Stillwell (committed to Northwestern) controlled the net for the Wolverines (28-8), who finished third in the Mission League behind Sierra Canyon and Marymount and lost to Mater Dei in the Southern Section Division 1 quarterfinals, a remarkable turnaround for a team that had a losing record and missed the playoffs last year.

Coach Morgan Wijay returned to the program in January after a decade-long stint at Bishop Alemany, where she guided the Warriors to back-to-back CIF titles in 2021 and 2022. Wijay was on Adam Black’s staff back in 2007 when Harvard-Westlake won the Division III state title.

CIF STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS

At Santiago Canyon College, Orange

FRIDAY’S RESULTS

DIVISION V

Hilmar d. Elsinore, 26-24, 25-16, 25-19

DIVISION I

Harvard-Westlake d. Roseville Woodcreek, 25-22, 25-14, 25-17

SATURDAY’S SCHEDULE

DIVISION II

Clovis West (30-13) vs. Cypress (24-10), 11 a.m.

DIVISION III

Redwood City Sequoia (24-15-1) vs. Academy of Our Lady of Peace (21-11), 1:30 p.m.

DIVISION IV

Reedley Immanuel (26-16) vs. Capistrano Valley Christian (13-21-1), 4 p.m.

OPEN DIVISION

Rocklin (37-4) vs. Mater Dei (34-5), 6:30 p.m.

When you’re a sportswriter covering high school sports in Southern California since the 1970s, you meet lots of sports families who come and go.

It’s going to be the end of an era for one of my favorite families, the Kymans. Bernie was the patriarch. He coached and was athletic director at so many high schools he could have worn a different mascot shirt every day for weeks. He was at Daniel Murphy, Los Angeles, St. Bonaventure, Moorpark, Chaminade (twice), Bishop Alemany, Littlerock, Cal Lutheran and Pierce College (twice).

His son, Coley, became a star in football and volleyball at Reseda in the 1980s, then the starting quarterback at Cal State Northridge and a Hall of Fame volleyball player for the Matadors. Coley’s wife, Michelle, won a national championship playing for UCLA’s women’s volleyball team. They had two sons, Jake and Brayden.

Jake helped Santa Margarita win a Southern Section Division 1 basketball championship in 2019, then spent three years at UCLA before transferring to Eastern Washington.

The last of the Kymans is Brayden, a 6-foot-7 senior at Santa Margarita and a Washington State commit who will get to play on Saturday for the first time where his father, mother and brother once played — UCLA’s Pauley Pavilion. Santa Margarita faces Sherman Oaks Notre Dame in a 7 p.m. basketball game as part of a daylong showcase.

“Once I saw it on the schedule, I was really grateful and super excited,” Brayden said. “My brother played there, my parents played there. It’s kind of a full circle moment.”

His grandfather died in 2019 at the age of 78. Brayden said he learned plenty from a man who always believed in character and commitment.

“He taught me a lot and my dad, which was passed down to me — working hard and staying focused on what you want to do in life,” he said.

His parents both played professionally in volleyball, so they’ve been good role models and sounding boards for what to expect in the college journey.

“They always give me the best advice, whether it’s about recovery or a game,” he said. “They support me.”

Santa Margarita returns four starters this season and began the season as the No. 2-ranked team in the Southland by The Times. Kyman has already accomplished something few other top players are doing these days — staying from freshman season through senior season.

“It’s gone by super fast,” he said. “I remember yesterday I was a freshman. I’m grateful for the experience to be here all four years. I know that’s not as common now.”

After Brayden graduates, his parents are moving to Montana. It allows them to drive some five hours to his games in Pullman, Wash., while enjoy being away from big-city life. Just don’t expect Brayden to hang out in Montana. He makes it clear he’s a California boy for life.

“I think it’s crazy,” he said. “I’ve lived in the same house [in Aliso Vijeo] my whole life. I’m going to visit for a few days but not a whole week.”

He can also visit his brother, Jake, who’s living in Austin, Texas, and is a filmmaker. Brayden wants to keep playing basketball for as long as he can, then become a coach or trainer.

It’s been wonderful to see the Kymans make their mark in Southern California sports history.

Day session Saturday at Pauley Pavilion

Servite vs. Loyola, 9:30 a.m.

Orange Lutheran vs. St. Francis, 11 a.m.

Crean Lutheran vs. Campbell Hall, 12:30 p.m.

Mater Dei vs. Crespi, 2 p.m.

Night Session

JSerra vs. Sierra Canyon, 5:30 p.m.

Santa Margarita vs. Sherman Oaks Notre Dame, 7 p.m.

St. John Bosco vs. Harvard-Westlake, 8:30 p.m.

No. 1 Nebraska displayed every skill that’s made it a powerhouse program — the offense attacked every part of the court, defense never gave up on the ball and the fans showed up at the Galen Center.

In front of a sellout crowd of 9,072, USC’s nine-match win streak came to an end with a straight-set loss to Nebraska (26-0, 16-0 Big Ten).

“I just felt like the game was a little too fast for us today,” USC coach Brad Keller said. “I thought it was slow for them and fast for us.”

The No. 17 Trojans never led and were limited to a 20% point scoring percentage throughout the match. USC (20-6, 11-5) led in attacks, but its 16 errors were costly during the 25-13, 25-16, 25-20 loss to the Cornhuskers.

USC’s Adonia Faumuina taps the ball over the net against Nebraska at the Galen Center on Sunday.

(Kim Ly / USC Athletics)

“Nebraska is the real deal,” Keller said. “They are really, really good and they showed that today from point one to the very end. They’re hitting .400 and they held us down to .156, that kind of shows you a lot of where they were.

“Go Big Red Nation deserves credit and they deserve the fact that they travel and they support their team.”

USC outside hitters London Wijay, with 10 kills, and Adonia Faumuina, with nine kills, kept the Trojans in as much as possible throughout the three sets. After a break, the Trojans came out with some extra gusto to make things a little interesting for the Cornhuskers.

“We literally had nothing to lose,” Faumuina said.

During the match, Nebraska made 10 errors, with five spread across the first two sets. The Huskers moved the ball quickly around the court and if they made a mistake, the team quickly adjusted. In the third set, a ball bounced in the air close to the floor seats. Nebraska saved the ball and it later led to a kill by Virginia Adrian that put the Huskers three points from closing out the game.

Nebraska kept USC guessing, while exploiting the weaker USC back court and capitalizing on attacking errors. Throughout the match, they kept hitting the ball to the back, usually resulting in a point for them.

“There were some plays they made that I haven’t seen in a while and that was normal for them,” Keller said.

As the Trojans look ahead to their next match against Oregon on Wednesday, Keller doesn’t have a silver lining take-away from the loss.

“I love my team, I don’t care what their age is,” Keller said. “There needs to be a standard and we need to execute and if we don’t execute, we go back to the drawing board, we work on those things, we get better and we execute.”

Wijay said the loss exposed how much harder the Trojans must work to achieve their goals.

“I don’t want to brush off this loss,” Wijay said. “I think it’s good to use as fuel for the next game. It was a good test to see how far we are to get to that level. And I feel like the silver lining is to make sure that we’re all gonna be in the gym working even harder to make sure that we pursue the balls.”

“I think it made me more hungry to want to win,” Wijay added.

Sierra Canyon faced a familiar foe Saturday night in the Southern California Regional Open Division girls’ volleyball semifinals in Chatsworth.

The Trailblazers needed five match points to finally put away Mission League rival Marymount, 25-18, 19-25, 25-22, 25-23, and move within two wins of a state title.

It was the fifth meeting between the teams — the most in a season between two Southern Section schools from the same league since 2006 when Bay League rivals Redondo Union and Mira Costa also faced off five times. Sierra Canyon improved to 11-2 in its last 13 best-of-five set matches against Marymount — including the last seven in a row — though none of them have been easy.

Lucky Fasavalu serves an ace in Sierra Canyon’s four-set victory over Marymount in the Southern California Regional semifinals at Chatsworth on Nov. 15, 2025.

(Steve Galluzzo / For The Times)

“It gets harder every time we play them because they know our tendencies,” said Missouri-bound setter Lucky Fasavalu, who dished out 44 assists. “It makes us better, but it makes them better too.”

Hanna McGinest had 15 kills, the last of which ended the match. McKenna McIntosh had 13 kills and 15 digs, Kendall Omoruyi had 13 kills and four blocks and Eva Jeffries added eight kills and eight digs for Sierra Canyon.

Washington commit Sammy Destler led Marymount with 20 kills, seven of them in the second set. Elle Vandeweghe had 14 kills, Katelyn Oerlemans added 13 and Olivia Penske had 41 assists for the Sailors, who pushed the Trailblazers to five sets in the section semifinals.

Top-seeded Sierra Canyon (41-3), which has already set the program single-season record for wins in a season, improved to 4-1 this fall against the fifth-seeded Sailors (38-7) and has not lost a match in California (its three losses came in out-of-state tournaments).

Having defeated Mater Dei for the first time in its history to win the Southern Section Division 1 title, Sierra Canyon will try to make it two in a row against the visiting Monarchs on Tuesday night in the regional final. Sierra Canyon’s four-set victory on Nov. 8 at Cerritos College marked its first in 10 tries against Mater Dei, which beat Torrey Pines in four sets in Saturday’s other semifinal.

“They’re both incredible teams,” Fasavalu said, referring to Marymount and Mater Dei. “Marymount is scrappy, has weapons everywhere and has two great middles. Mater Dei’s pins are explosive and they have great game I.Q. Both are full of seniors so they really want to win — but so do we!”

Asked if she is happy to be playing Mater Dei, Fasavalu admitted she was since her cousin Westley Matavao plays for the No. 2-seeded Monarchs (33-5).

“We know how good they are but we can play great volleyball,” Fasavalu said. “I’ve got great options as a setter. McKenna and Kendall demand the ball a lot and it’s my job to read the other side of the net and see where mismatches are.”

SATURDAY’S RESULTS

SEMIFINALS

OPEN DIVISION

#1 Sierra Canyon d. #5 Marymount, 25-18, 19-25, 25-22, 25-23

#2 Mater Dei d. #3 Torrey Pines, 25-23, 25-22, 19-25, 25-23

DIVISION I

#1 Harvard-Westlake d. #12 Bishop Montgomery, 22-25, 25-16, 25-23, 24-26, 15-8

#3 Santa Margarita d. #2 Temecula Valley, 25-17, 22-25, 25-19, 25-23

DIVISION II

#1 Bakersfield Liberty d. #12 La Canada, 25-7, 25-16, 23-25, 25-18

#3 Cypress d. #7 Carlsbad, 23-25, 21-25, 25-22, 26-24, 15-10

DIVISION III

#1 Academy of Our Lady of Peace d. #4 Santa Fe Christian, 25-23, 22-25, 25-22, 25-21

#3 Mission Vista d. #2 Bakersfield Frontier, 27-25, 25-21, 25-18

DIVISION IV

#12 Capistrano Valley Christian d. #1 Nipomo, 36-34, 25-23, 26-24

#2 Mammoth d. #3 Granada Hills, 19-25, 25-23, 25-18, 19-25, 15-10

DIVISION V

#4 Elsinore d. #8 Panorama, 25-14, 25-27, 25-11, 25-18

#2 Morro Bay d. #11 Nogales, 25-16, 25-18, 25-16

TUESDAY’S SCHEDULE

(Matches at 6 p.m. unless noted)

Regional Finals

OPEN DIVISION

#2 Mater Dei at #1 Sierra Canyon

DIVISION I

#3 Santa Margarita at #1 Harvard-Westlake

DIVISION II

#3 Cypress at #1 Bakersfield Liberty

DIVISION III

#3 Mission Vista at #1 Academy of Our Lady of Peace

DIVISION IV

#12 Capistrano Valley Christian at #2 Mammoth

DIVISION V

#4 Elsinore d. #2 Morro Bay

Note: State Championships on November 21-22 at Santiago Canyon College.

THURSDAY’S RESULTS

Quarterfinals

DIVISION I

#1 Harvard-Westlake d. #9 Long Beach Poly, 25-13, 21-25, 22-25, 25-11, 15-11

#12 Bishop Montgomery d. #4 West Ranch, 23-25, 23-25, 25-19, 25-18, 15-9

#3 Santa Margarita d. #6 Coronado, 25-21, 25-20, 25-17

#2 Temecula Valley d. #10 Bakersfield Centennial, 25-17, 22-25, 25-19, 25-23

DIVISION II

#1 Liberty d. #9 Arroyo Valley, 25-20, 25-19, 25-20

#12 La Canada d. #13 Ventura, 17-25, 25-15, 25-21, 23-25, 15-10

#3 Cypress d. #6 Scripps Ranch, 20-25, 21-25, 25-15, 26-24, 15-13

#7 Carlsbad d. #15 Dana Hills, 25-14, 25-17, 22-25, 18-25, 15-13

DIVISION III

#1 Academy of Our Lady of Peace d. #8 Royal, 25-21, 25-11, 25-22

#4 Santa Fe Christian d. #5 Patrick Henry, 25-13, 25-7, 25-16

#3 Mission Vista d. #6 Ontario Christian, 25-19, 19-25, 25-13, 21-25, 15-7

#2 Frontier d. #7 Chadwick, 25-20, 25-18, 35-23

DIVISION IV

#1 Nipomo d. #8 Grant, 24-26, 25-22, 27-25, 25-21

#12 Capistrano Valley Christian d. #13 West Valley, 25-13, 25-12, 25-22

#3 Granada Hills d. #5 LA University, 25-23, 25-17, 25-22

#2 Mammoth d. #10 Rock Academy, 25-20, 25-12, 25-21

DIVISION V

#8 Panorama d. #1 East Valley, 25-23, 20-25, 21-25, 25-21, 15-12

#4 Elsinore d. #5 Artesia, 21-25, 26-24, 25-17, 25-19

#11 Nogales d. #3 O’Farrell Charter, 3-2

#2 Morro Bay d. #10 South El Monte, 25-10, 25-21, 25-18

SATURDAY’S SCHEDULE

SEMIFINALS

(Matches at 6 p.m. unless noted)

OPEN DIVISION

#5 Marymount at #1 Sierra Canyon

#3 Torrey Pines at #2 Mater Dei

DIVISION I

#12 Bishop Montgomery at #1 Harvard-Westlake

#3 Santa Margarita at #2 Temecula Valley

DIVISION II

#12 La Canada at #1 Bakersfield Liberty

#7 Carlsbad at #3 Cypress

DIVISION III

#4 Santa Fe Christian at #1 Academy of Our Lady of Peace

#3 Mission Vista at #2 Bakersfield Frontier

DIVISION IV

#12 Capistrano Valley Christian at #1 Nipomo

#3 Granada Hills at #2 Mammoth

DIVISION V

#8 Panorama at #4 Elsinore

#11 Nogales at #2 Morro Bay

Note: Finals (all divisions) Nov. 18 at higher seeds.

HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS VOLLEYBALL

CIF SOCAL REGIONALS
WEDNESDAY’S RESULTS
First Round

OPEN DIVISION
#1 Sierra Canyon d. #8 Mira Costa, 25-23, 23-25, 25-17, 25-19
#5 Marymount d. #4 San Diego Cathedral, 26-24, 25-20, 25-9
#3 Torrey Pines d. #6 San Juan Hills, 25-15, 25-22, 25-6
#2 Mater Dei d. #7 Redondo Union, 29-27, 25-19, 25-21

THURSDAY’S SCHEDULE
(Matches at 6 p.m. unless noted)
Quarterfinals

DIVISION I
#9 Long Beach Poly at #1 Harvard-Westlake
#12 Bishop Montgomery at #4 West Ranch
#6 Coronado at #3 Santa Margarita
#10 Bakersfield Centennial at #2 Temecula Valley, 5 p.m.

DIVISION II
#9 Arroyo Valley at # 1 Liberty, 5 p.m.
#13 Ventura at #12 La Canada
#6 Scripps Ranch at #3 Cypress
#15 Dana Hills at #7 Carlsbad

DIVISION III
#8 Royal at #1 Academy of Our Lady of Peace
#5 Patrick Henry at #4 Santa Fe Christian
#6 Ontario Christian at #3 Mission Vista
#7 Chadwick at #2 Frontier, 5:30 p.m.

DIVISION IV
#8 Grant at #1 Nipomo
#13 West Valley vs. #12 Capistrano Valley Christian at Capistrano Valley
#5 LA University at #3 Granada Hills
#10 Rock Academy at #2 Mammoth

DIVISION V
#8 Panorama at #1 East Valley
#5 Artesia at #4 Elsinore
#11 Nogales at #3 O’Farrell Charter
#10 South El Monte at #2 Morro Bay, 5 p.m.

Note: Semifinals (all divisions) Nov. 15 at higher seeds; Finals (all divisions) Nov. 18 at higher seeds.

HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS VOLLEYBALL

CIF SOCAL REGIONALS
TUESDAY’S RESULTS
First Round

DIVISION I
#1 Harvard-Westlake d. #16 Santa Barbara San Marcos, 25-16, 25-13, 25-16
#9 Long Beach Poly d. #8 San Luis Obispo, 25-22, 25-19, 25-13
#12 Bishop Montgomery d. #5 La Jolla Country Day, 25-23, 25-19, 25-16
#4 West Ranch d. #13 Redlands, 25-19, 21-25, 25-14, 25-13
#3 Santa Margarita d. #14 San Diego San Marcos, 23-25, 25-15, 28-26, 25-15
#6 Coronado d. #11 JSerra, 25-12, 25-20, 25-18
#10 Bakersfield Centennial d. #7 Bishop’s, 19-25, 25-23, 21-25, 25-22, 15-12
32 Temecula Valley d. #15 Orange Lutheran, 25-23, 20-25, 25-17, 27-25

DIVISION II
#1 Liberty d. #16 Oak Park, 24-26, 25-12, 25-23, 25-12
#9 Arroyo Grande d. #8 Flintridge Prep, 25-15, 14-25, 23-25, 25-20, 15-10
#12 La Canada d. #5 Christian, 12-25, 25-20, 25-17, 25-19
#13 Ventura d. #4 Santa Ana Foothill, 26-28, 25-15, 20-25, 25-0, 15-11
#3 Cypress d. #14 Venice, 25-15, 25-15, 25-22
#6 Scripps Ranch d. #11 St. Margaret’s, 25-27, 25-22, 25-20, 25-20
#7 Carlsbad d. #10 Palisades, 25-11, 25-18, 23-25, 25-23
#15 Dana Hills d. #2 Westview, 25-14, 25-19, 25-10

DIVISION III
#1 Academy of Our Lady of Peace d. #16 Arrowhead Christian, 25-11, 25-11, 25-16
#8 Royal d. #9 Garces Memorial, 23-25, 25-9, 25-22, 25-18
#5 Patrick Henry d. #12 Cleveland, 25-17, 25-17, 25-13
#4 Santa Fe Christian d. #13 El Camino Real, 25-17, 25-21, 25-19
#3 Mission Vista d. #14 Taft, 25-21, 25-22, 25-18
#6 Ontario Christian d. #11 Santa Barbara, 25-12, 25-19, 25-22
#7 Chadwick d. #10 Eagle Rock, 16-25, 22-25, 25-17, 25-17, 15-6
32 Frontier d. #15 Wiseburn Da Vinci, 25-22, 25-20, 25-16

DIVISION IV
#1 Nipomo, bye
#8 Grant d. #9 Oceanside El Camino, 25-7, 25-10, 25-16
#12 Capistrano Valley Christian d. #5 Chatsworth, 16-25, 25-16, 26-24, 20-25, 15-13
#13 West Valley d. #4 Olympian, 18-25, 25-14, 25-20, 20-25, 15-10
#3 Granada Hills d. #14 Cate, 25-17, 25-18, 25-20
#5 LA University d. #11 Garden Grove Pacifica, 25-22, 19-25, 25-22, 25-18
#10 Rock Academy d. #7 Granada Hills Kennedy, 14-25, 25-10, 20-25, 25-13, 15-12
#2 Mammoth d. #15 CAMS, 25-21, 25-18, 25-13

DIVISION V
#1 East Valley, bye
#8 Panorama d. #9 Loma Linda Academy, 25-20, 21-25, 25-13, 30-28
#5 Artesia d. #12 South East, 25-8, 25-6, 25-9
#4 Elsinore d. #13 Legacy, 25-9, 25-20, 25-18
#3 O’Farrell Charter d. #14 Moreno Valley, 25-20, 25-19, 25-20
#11 Nogales at #6 Schurr, 19-25, 29-27, 25-12, 14-25, 15-9
#10 South El Monte d. #7 Foothill Tech, 25-20, 15-25, 25-22, 16-25, 15-12
#2 Morro Bay d. #15 Anaheim, 25-6, 25-10, 25-11

WEDNESDAY’S SCHEDULE
First Round

OPEN DIVISION
#8 Mira Costa at #1 Sierra Canyon
#5 Marymount at #4 San Diego Cathedral
#6 San Juan Hills at #3 Torrey Pines
#7 Redondo Union at #2 Mater Dei

Note: Quarterfinals (Divisions I-V) Nov. 13 at higher seeds; Semifinals (all divisions) Nov. 15 at higher seeds; Finals (all divisions) Nov. 18 at higher seeds.

CIF SOCAL REGIONALS

(Matches at 6 p.m. unless noted)

TUESDAY’S SCHEDULE

First Round

DIVISION I

#16 Santa Barbara San Marcos at #1 Harvard-Westlake

#9 Long Beach Poly at #8 San Luis Obispo

#12 Bishop Montgomery at #5 La Jolla Country Day

#13 Redlands at #4 West Ranch

#14 San Diego San Marcos at #3 Santa Margarita

#11 JSerra at #6 Coronado

#10 Bakersfield Centennial at #7 Bishop’s

#15 Orange Lutheran at #2 Temecula Valley

DIVISION II

#16 Oak Park at #1 Liberty

#9 Arroyo Grande at #8 Flintridge Prep

#12 La Canada at #5 Christian

#13 Ventura at #4 Santa Ana Foothill

#14 Venice at #3 Cypress

#11 St. Margaret’s at #6 Scripps Ranch

#10 Palisades at #7 Carlsbad

#15 Dana Hills at #2 Westview

DIVISION III

#16 Arrowhead Christian at #1 Academy of Our Lady of Peace

#9 Garces Memorial at #9 Royal

#12 Cleveland at #5 Patrick Henry

#13 El Camino Real at #4 Santa Fe Christian

#14 Taft at #3 Mission Vista

#11 Santa Barbara at #6 Ontario Christian

#10 Eagle Rock at #7 Chadwick

#15 Wiseburn Da Vinci at #2 Frontier

DIVISION IV

#1 Nipomo, bye

#8 Grant at #9 Oceanside El Camino

#12 Capistrano Valley Christian at #5 Chatsworth

#13 West Valley at #4 Olympian

#14 Cate at #3 Granada Hills

#11 Garden Grove Pacifica at #5 LA University

#10 Rock Academy at #7 Granada Hills Kennedy

#15 California Academy of Math & Science at #2 Mammoth

DIVISION V

#1 East Valley, bye

#9 Loma Linda Academy at #8 Panorama

#12 South East at #5 Artesia

#13 Legacy at #4 Elsinore

#14 Moreno Valley at #3 O’Farrell Charter

#11 Nogales at #6 Schurr

#10 South El Monte at #7 Foothill Tech

#15 Anaheim at #2 Morro Bay

WEDNESDAY’S SCHEDULE

First Round

OPEN DIVISION

#8 Mira Costa at #1 Sierra Canyon

#5 Marymount at #4 San Diego Cathedral

#6 San Juan Hills at #3 Torrey Pines

#7 Redondo Union at #2 Mater Dei

Note: Quarterfinals (Divisions I-V) Nov. 13 at higher seeds; Semifinals (all divisions) Nov. 15 at higher seeds; Finals (all divisions) Nov. 18 at higher seeds.

CITY SECTION FINALS

FRIDAY’S RESULTS

At Southwest College

OPEN DIVISION

#2 Palisades d. #1 Venice, 25-23, 25-18, 25-18

DIVISION V

#5 Legacy d. #11 Sotomayor, 25-20, 25-18, 25-12

SATURDAY’S RESULTS

At Birmingham High

DIVISION IV

#7 South East d. #1 Marquez

DIVISION III

#1 Panorama d. #2 Sun Valley Poly, 25-23, 19-25, 25-14, 29-27

DIVISION II

#2 Mendez vs. #1 East Valley

DIVISION I

#1 LA University d. #3 Granada Hills Kennedy, 25-16, 25-17, 25-23

SOUTHERN SECTION FINALS

THURSDAY’S RESULTS

At Ventura High

DIVISION 4

La Canada d. Ventura, 25-15, 25-22, 17-25, 13-25, 15-8

SATURDAY’S RESULTS

At Cerritos College

DIVISION 1

Sierra Canyon d. Mater Dei, 23-25, 25-23, 25-20, 25-21

DIVISION 2

Santa Margarita d. West Ranch, 26-28, 25-21, 25-23, 13-25, 15-11

DIVISION 3

Cypress d. Santa Ana Foothill, 25-9, 25-15, 25-15

DIVISION 5

Ontario Christian d. Chadwick, 19-25, 25-23, 25-22, 25-20

At Arrowhead Christian

DIVISION 6

Wiseburn Da Vinci d. Arrowhead Christian, 22-25, 25-20, 25-18, 25-19

At Carpinteria

DIVISION 7

Cate d. West Valley, 25-16, 23-25, 25-17, 21-25, 17-15

At Artesia

DIVISION 8

Artesia d. Schurr, 25-9, 25-12, 27-25

At South El Monte

DIVISION 9

South El Monte d. Nogales, 3-2

At Anaheim

DIVISION 10

Moreno Valley d. Anaheim, 3-1

The intensity is always high when Palisades and Venice meet on the volleyball court. This time, however, there was more than just neighborhood bragging rights at stake.

In the fifth meeting this season between the Western League rivals, the second-seeded Dolphins brought their ‘A’ game and won the City Section Open Division girls’ championship with a 25-23, 25-18, 25-18 victory Friday night at Southwest College.

It was the record 31st section crown for Palisades (35-7), which had won its last title (all but two of which have been in the top division) four years ago when the 2020 fall season was delayed until the following spring because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Tulah Block’s seventh and final kill on match point sent her teammates pouring off the bench to hug each other.

“Going up for that kill I just knew I had to do it for the team,” Block said. “I’m so proud of the whole team especially with everything we went through and are still going through after the fire and not having a gym. We even had to go the beach to practice one day.”

The West Valley League has dominated girls’ volleyball over the last decade, but Palisades and Venice each vanquished two West Valley League opponents to reach the final. The Dolphins ousted Granada Hills and defending Open champion Taft while the top-seeded Gondoliers eliminated Chatsworth and El Camino Real.

Venice (32-11) won Division II in 2012, Division I in 2016 and the Open Division in 2021. The last time a West Valley League school failed to reach the Open Division final was 2019 when Eagle Rock beat Palisades in four sets.

Venice was swept in the team’s first league meeting on Aug. 28 but rebounded to take the rematch in five sets on Sept. 25 and ultimately took first place because of the Dolphins’ surprising five-set loss to University. The teams also met twice in tournaments, Venice winning both times in a best-of-three sets format.

“Our slogan all year was ’no gym, no problem,” Palisades senior libero Lucy Neilson said. “Today we came with a ‘leave it all out there’ mentality.”

Palisades rallied from a 19-16 deficit to win the first set on a kill by Block that Venice’s Samantha Lortie dove for in desperation but could not quite dig. Venice’s last stand came in the third set when it built a 13-7 lead but Palisades answered with a 14-point run on the serving of Phoebe Messiha.

Lortie, who teamed with Savannah Rozell to win the City pairs tournament on April 29 in Santa Monica and three days later led the Gondoliers to their first beach volleyball title, traded kills with Palisades’ Anabelle Redaelli, who finished with a match-high 13. Lortie had 11 and Gaia Adeseun-Williams added eight for the Gondoliers.

“Winning it this season is special given the obvious circumstances and it had to be against Venice,” Neilson added. “It’s important for our program because we hadn’t won it in a few years and that’s our goal every year.”

In the preceding Division V final, fifth-seeded Legacy swept No. 11 Sotomayor, 25-20, 25-18, 25-12. Both teams were seeking their first City title. Legacy improved to 10-15 while Sotomayor dropped to 12-12.

“We’re here because we pushed for it,” Tigers libero Yahaira Ramirez said. “Not all teams are going to have a 100 percent win streak. I love my position. I love to stand out. I save my team a lot of points.”

HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS VOLLEYBALL

CITY SECTION PLAYOFFS
WEDNESDAY’S RESULTS
Semifinals

DIVISION II
#1 East Valley d. #5 North Hollywood, 20-25, 25-16, 25-19, 24-26, 15-11
#2 Mendez d. #6 Maywood CES, 25-23, 25-18, 8-25, 25-18

DIVISION III
#1 Panorama d. #12 New West Charter, 25-22, 25-13, 25-23
#2 Sun Valley Poly d. #3 Chavez, 23-25, 25-23, 25-22, 18-25, 15-5

DIVISION IV
#1 Marquez d. #13 Fairfax, 3-0
#7 South East d. #3 Huntington Park, 27-25, 25-11, 25-16

DIVISION V
#5 Legacy d. #9 Santee, 25-22, 26-24, 25-20
#11 Sotomayor d. #7 Jefferson, 25-15, 25-19, 23-25, 22-25, 15-11

FINALS SCHEDULE
FRIDAY
At Southwest College

DIVISION V
#11 Sotomayor (12-11) vs. #5 Legacy (9-15), 5:15 p.m.

OPEN DIVISION
#2 Palisades (34-7) vs. #1 Venice (32-10), 7:30 p.m.

SATURDAY
At Birmingham High

DIVISION IV
#7 South East (10-14) vs. #1 Marquez (15-21), 10 a.m.

DIVISION III
#2 Sun Valley Poly (13-19) vs. #1 Panorama (15-14), 12:30 p.m.

DIVISION II
#2 Mendez (25-8) vs. #1 East Valley (13-6), 3:15 p.m.

DIVISION I
#3 Granada Hills Kennedy (31-9) vs. #1 LA University (20-6), 6 p.m.

HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS’ VOLLEYBALL

SOUTHERN SECTION FINALS

THURSDAY’S SCHEDULE

DIVISION 4
La Canada (22-18) at Ventura (21-9), 6 p.m.

SATURDAY’S SCHEDULE

At Cerritos College

DIVISION 1
Sierra Canyon (38-3) vs. Mater Dei (31-4), 6 p.m.

DIVISION 2
Santa Margarita (23-10) vs. West Ranch (25-5), 12:30 p.m.

DIVISION 3
Santa Ana Foothill (27-10) vs. Cypress (20-12), 10 a.m.

DIVISION 5
Ontario Christian (13-8) vs. Chadwick (22-18), 3 p.m.

At Arrowhead Christian

DIVISION 6
Wiseburn Da Vinci (19-14) vs. Arrowhead Christian (18-11), 6 p.m.

At Carpinteria

DIVISION 7
West Valley (13-18) vs. Cate )13-6), 4 p.m.

At Artesia

DIVISION 8
Schurr (15-19) vs. Artesia (14-10), 6 p.m.

At South El Monte

DIVISION 9
Nogales (16-14) vs. South El Monte (16-11), 6 p.m.

At Anaheim

DIVISION 10
Moreno Valley (16-15) vs. Anaheim (16-12), 6 p.m.

HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS VOLLEYBALL

CITY SECTION PLAYOFFS
TUESDAY’S RESULTS
Semifinals

OPEN DIVISION
#1 Venice d. #5 El Camino Real, 25-13, 19-25, 25-21, 25-22
#2 Palisades d. #6 Taft, 25-17, 17-25, 25-23, 25-19

DIVISION I
#1 LA University d. #4 LA Marshall, 3-2
#3 Granada Hills Kennedy d. #2 Grant, 15-25, 25-17, 25-21, 16-25, 15-8

WEDNESDAY’S SCHEDULE
(Matches at 7 p.m. unless noted)
Semifinals

DIVISION II
#5 North Hollywood at #1 East Valley
#6 Maywood CES at #2 Mendez

DIVISION III
#12 New West Charter at #1 Panorama
#3 Chavez at #2 Sun Valley Poly

DIVISION IV
#13 Fairfax at #1 Marquez
#7 South East at #3 Huntington Park

DIVISION V
#9 Santee at #5 Legacy
#11 Sotomayor at #7 Jefferson

FINALS SCHEDULE
Friday, Nov. 7
At Southwest College
Division V — 5:15 p.m.
Open Division — 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, Nov. 8
At Birmingham High
Division IV — 10 a.m.
Division III — 12:30 p.m.
Division II —3:15 p.m.
Division I — 6 p.m.

CITY SECTION PLAYOFFS

MONDAY’S RESULTS

Quarterfinals

DIVISION III

#1 Panorama d. #9 Verdugo Hills, 28-26, 25-23, 25-21

#12 New West Charter d. #4 Sun Valley Magnet, 25-19, 14-24, 25-18, 25-18

#3 Chavez d. #6 L.A. Hamilton, 26-24, 22-25, 25-12, 25-18

#2 Sun Valley Poly d. #10 Alliance Levine, 25-11, 25-9, 25-13

DIVISION IV

#1 Marquez d. #8 Van Nuys, 25-8, 25-11, 24-26, 25-20

#13 Fairfax d. #5 Fulton, 25-14, 25-13, 25-18

#3 Huntington Park d. #6 Animo Robinson, 3-0

#7 South East d. #2 Bell, 25-19, 25-19, 27-25

DIVISION V

#9 Santee d. #1 Middle College, 25-14, 28-26, 18-25, 25-15

#5 Legacy d. #4 L.A. Wilson, 25-17, 25-21, 25-18

#11 Sotomayor d. #3 RFK Community, 25-15, 23-25, 25-9, 25-22

#7 Jefferson d. #18 Monroe, 25-14, 25-20, 25-19

TUESDAY’S SCHEDULE

(Matches at 7 p.m. unless noted)

Semifinals

OPEN DIVISION

#5 El Camino Real at #1 Venice

#6 Taft vs. #2 Palisades at Brentwood

DIVISION I

#4 L.A. Marshall at #1 LA University

#3 Granada Hills Kennedy at #2 Grant

Note: Semifinals Divisions II-V Nov. 5 at higher seeds; Finals (all divisions) Nov. 7-8

SOUTHERN SECTION PLAYOFFS

SATURDAY’S RESULTS

Semifinals

DIVISION 1

Sierra Canyon d. Marymount. 25-13-26-28, 24-26, 25-22, 15-9

Mater Dei d. San Juan Hills, 25-15, 25-1, 25-15

DIVISION 2

Santa Margarita d. Long Beach Poly, 25-13, 25-18, 25-14

West Ranch d. JSerra, 25-21, 25-14, 25-19

DIVISION 3

Foothill d. Flintridge Prep, 25-21, 25-22, 23-25, 25-21

Cypress d. St. Margaret’s, 21-25, 25-21, 22-25, 25-23, 15-9

DIVISION 4

La Canada d. Dana Hills, 25-13, 25-20, 19-25, 25-18

Ventura d. Oak Park, 25-20, 23-25, 25-18, 25-14

DIVISION 5

Ontario Christian d. Santa Barbara, 25-18, 25-15, 25-18

Chadwick d. Royal, 25-16, 25-21, 25-27, 26-24

DIVISION 6

Arrowhead Christian d. Garden Grove Pacifica, 3-0

Wiseburn Da Vinci d. Capistrano Valley Christian, 25-23, 25-21, 25-17

DIVISION 7

West Valley d. Elsinore, 25-22, 25-14, 25-17

Cate d. CAMS, 3-1

DIVISION 8

Schurr d. Foothill Tech, 22-25, 21-25, 25-20, 25-19, 15-6

Artesia d. Loma Linda Academy, 25-7, 25-15, 25-23

DIVISION 9

Nogales d. Westminster La Quinta, 3-0

South El Monte d. Nordhoff, 3-1

DIVISION 10

Anaheim d. Thacher, 3-2

Moreno Valley d. San Luis Obispo Classical, 3-1

Note: Division 1 Finals Nov. 8 at 6 p.m. at Cerritos College; Finals (Divisions 2-10) Nov. 6-8 (sites & times TBA).